Phytoplankton community in the upwelling event off central colombian Caribbean sea

Abstract

To evaluate the structure of the phytoplankton commu-nity under upwelling and non-upwelling conditions in the Colombian central Caribbean coast and to establish its conditions, compared with similar oceanographic events on a regional scale, four samples, taken between July and September 2006, two in upwelling and two in non-upwelling condition, were carried out along the water column (0-50m) following the Eurelian method. Water samples with the Van Dorn bottle and horizontal tows were taken to determine phytoplankton composition, density, dominance and diversity. It was found that dia-toms were the dominant group, specifically species of the genera Skeletonema, Chaetoceros, Bacteriastrum and Thalassionema, showing densities higher than 50cel/L, o evaluate the structure of the phytoplankton commu-nity under upwelling and non-upwelling conditions in the Colombian central Caribbean coast and to establish its conditions, compared with similar oceanographic events on a regional scale, four samples, taken between July and September 2006, two in upwelling and two in non-upwelling condition, were carried out along the water column (0-50m) following the Eurelian method. Water samples with the Van Dorn bottle and horizontal tows were taken to determine phytoplankton composition, density, dominance and diversity. It was found that dia-toms were the dominant group, specifically species of the genera Skeletonema, Chaetoceros, Bacteriastrum and Thalassionema, showing densities higher than 50cel/L.